[Federal Register: August 13, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 45239-45241]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13au07-60]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP07-414-000]
Golden Triangle Storage, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Golden Triangle Storage
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit
August 7, 2007.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
[[Page 45240]]
discuss the environmental impacts of the proposed Golden Triangle
Storage Project, which involves construction and operation of natural
gas storage facilities in Jefferson and Orange Counties, Texas. This
notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will be used to
gather environmental input from the public and interested agencies on
the project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping
period will close on September 6, 2007.
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public
Participation portion of this notice. In addition to or in lieu of
sending written comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping
meeting at the location listed below.
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Date and time Location
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 7-10 pm (CST) Lamar University, Mary & John
Gray Library, 4400 MLK Blvd,
Beaumont, TX 77710.
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Public scoping meetings are designed to provide state and local
agencies, interested groups, affected landowners, and the general
public with another opportunity to offer comments on the project.
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the meeting
and to present comments on the environmental issues they believe should
be addressed in the EA.
With this notice, we \1\ are asking other federal, state, local,
and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with
respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation
of the EA. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status
should follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.
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\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a Golden Triangle Storage, Inc. (GTS) representative about the
acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would seek to negotiate a mutually
acceptable agreement. However, if the project is approved by the
Commission, that approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain.
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, GTS
could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' addresses a number
of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and
how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
GTS seeks authorization to construct a new natural gas storage
facility in Jefferson and Orange Counties, Texas. The Golden Triangle
Storage Project would consist of developing two 8.0-billion-cubic-feet
storage caverns; two parallel 7.45-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter
pipelines; 1.45 miles of additional 24-inch-diameter pipeline; six
associated meter stations; a 14,205 horsepower compressor station; up
to five brine disposal wells; a brine disposal pipeline; a freshwater
pipeline; and other appurtenant facilities.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed project would affect a total of about
190.8 acres during construction. Following construction, about 67.5
acres would be allowed to revert to its previous conditions.
GTS proposes to construct its two parallel 24-inch-diameter
pipelines in a 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way, and would
maintain a 75-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation and
maintenance. A 75-foot-wide construction right-of-way would be required
for the additional 1.45-mile-long 24-inch-diameter pipeline. GTS would
maintain a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation and
maintenance of this segment.
The EA Process
We are preparing the EA to comply with the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take into
account the environmental impacts that could result from an action
whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us to discover and
address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is
referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By
this Notice, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the
issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered
during the preparation of the EA.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA
may be published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies;
public interest groups; interested individuals; affected landowners;
newspapers and libraries in the project area; and the Commission's
official service list for this proceeding. A comment period will be
allotted for public review if the EA is published. We will consider all
comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the
Commission.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects of
the proposal, reasonable alternatives to the proposal (including
alternative locations and routes), and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that
your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 1;
Reference Docket No. CP07-414-000;
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before September 6, 2007.
Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic
filing of comments. See Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
Part 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) (18 CFR 385.2001 (a)(1)(iii))and the
instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov
under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's
Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you
can file comments you will need to create an account by clicking on
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You will be asked to
select the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a
``Comment on Filing.''
Site Visit
Also on August 28, 2007, the FERC staff will conduct a site visit
of the proposed Golden Triangle Storage Project. We will view the
proposed storage cavern locations, well sites, and associated pipeline
routes.
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Representatives of GTS will accompany us during the visit.
All interested parties may attend the site visit. Those planning to
attend must provide their own transportation. If you are interested in
attending the site visit, please meet at 1 p.m. at the site of the
public meeting.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the scoping process, you may want to
become an official party to the proceeding known as an ``intervenor.''
Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. Among other things,
intervenors have the right to receive copies of case-related Commission
documents and filings by other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor
must send one electronic copy (using the Commission's eFiling system)
or 14 paper copies of its filings to the Secretary of the Commission
and must send a copy of its filings to all other parties on the
Commission's service list for this proceeding. If you want to become an
intervenor, you must file a motion to intervene according to Rule 214
of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214).
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's
decision.
Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor
status to have your environmental comments considered.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. We
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern. If you do not return the attached form (Appendix B), you will
be removed from the Commission's environmental mailing list.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or on
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu,
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last
three digits (i.e., CP07-414), and follow the instructions. For
assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-
The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to
the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rule makings.
In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-15800 Filed 8-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P